


Thank You.

by MarchofBirds



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Anakin is uncharacteristically reasonable, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, No Angst, Obi-Wan is snarky out of love, Utterly self-indulgent fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 11:28:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15314505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarchofBirds/pseuds/MarchofBirds
Summary: Anakin may be a literal Human Disaster, but it’s not like Obi-Wan isn’t without his own emotional hang-ups to overcome. And sometimes in their relationship, Anakin has to be the one with a little bit of sense.Or: Obi-Wan has trouble putting his feelings into words and Anakin is surprisingly levelheaded for once.





	Thank You.

**Author's Note:**

> Let's all just collectively pretend I know anything about vehicles in the Star Wars universe, yeah?

Obi-Wan had long envied how easy Anakin seemed to find expressing his emotions. He was perfectly aware of the fact that, in Anakin’s mind, Obi-Wan was a near flawless Jedi Master with no strong emotions to speak of- knew that his former Padawan envied him just as much, if not more.

But the way Anakin often held him, arms wrapping around his smaller frame so naturally, never failed to take his breath away. The way he nuzzled into his side or looked at him with unrestrained adoration. _Force_ , just last week he told Obi-Wan he loved him for making his favorite meal for dinner. 

Obi-Wan, meanwhile, planned out each and every demonstration of his affection for his former apprentice in the same way he’d plan a mission. The tone of voice he should use, how much eye contact to employ, which words and in what order. And it wasn’t as if he didn’t know that those sort of displays came off stiff and unnatural- the disappointment in Anakin’s eyes was evidence enough of that- he just didn’t know how else to be. The sentiment behind them was genuine, after all.   
  
  
The first time Obi-Wan told Anakin he loved him was decidedly unplanned. He hadn’t even been thinking, was almost asleep really. The two of them were lying in bed, wrapped around one another somewhere between the latest hours of the night and earliest hours of the morning. They were to be sent in two different directions come morning- Obi-Wan to a negotiation in the Mid-Rim, and Anakin on a recon mission with Ahsoka in the Outer. They might not be back in the Temple at the same time in Force knew how long, and so they tried to make the most of the last few hours of peace they had together. 

Both Obi-Wan and Anakin had dozed off at least half a dozen times, only to be woken again by the other’s voice or soft kisses along their face or jaw. Light was just starting to filter in through the windows by that point and Obi-Wan’s eyes had slipped closed yet again, his eyelids suddenly feeling too heavy to lift. His former Padawan’s deep breaths against his neck brought a smile to his face and, completely without thinking, he sighed out a gentle _“I love you.”_    
  
As soon as the words passed his lips, his eyes flew open, all semblance of peace and exhaustion instantly having evaporated. Obi-Wan’s heart was racing so hard he was sure Anakin could hear it from where he was resting against his chest. He floundered, mouth opening and closing as he tried and failed to think of something to say. 

Anakin though, simply blinked up at him, a lazy smile spreading over his face. Between his sleep-glazed eyes and ruffled hair turned golden by the earliest rays of sunshine, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but think the other man had never looked more at peace in his life. He knew Anakin loved him, expected him to reaffirm that exact sentiment in the face of his former mentor’s obvious panic. 

Instead he pulled Obi-Wan in tighter, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck before replying, “Thank you.” 

 

* * *

   
  
As the war wore on, things so rarely went according to plan Obi-Wan sometimes wondered what the point of coming up with a plan even was. His supposedly-peaceful mission had broken out into chaos and blaster fire two days in after a small group of anti-Republic extremists attacked the negotiations, effectively dragging out his time on the planet another three weeks.   
  
Obi-Wan sighed heavily. He was sitting in a transport shuttle _finally_ on his way back to Coruscant. He was both mentally and physically exhausted in a bone-deep way that wouldn’t be fixed with a simple sonic shower and nap in hyperspace- not that that was going to stop him from trying. 

Being as chaotic as it was, Obi-Wan’s mission hadn’t left him with much free time to mull over what’d happened the last time he and Anakin had seen each other. Now though, he was lying in his bunk still an hour out of Coruscant, having gotten as much sleep as he was going to, and had nothing to do but think. 

What had he been _thinking_ just blurting out...those words? And what had that strange response of Anakin’s been about? Maybe he’d just been half asleep himself. The only other possibility he could think of had much more...unfortunate implications. Obi-Wan had been sure Anakin knew how he felt, thought he’d shown it through his actions even if they weren’t always the most graceful. But if he was that grateful just hearing the words, well. He clearly wasn’t doing a good enough job. But how was he supposed to keep saying it when he had a hard time just thinking the words in the safety of his own mind? He kept hearing the disapproving voice of the council, of his own Master, reminding him about the dangers of attachment. 

Obi-Wan knew, of course, it wasn’t love that was forbidden, exactly. And anyway, in reality he _was_ attached, had been for years. But something about saying it out loud still shook him in a way he couldn’t explain. He sighed again, burying his face in the thin little pillow on his bunk, and tried to  clear his thoughts enough to meditate.   
  
  
By the time Obi-Wan arrived at the Temple he was as relieved as he was disappointed to find the quarters he shared with Anakin currently empty. He knew the younger man had returned from his mission safely the week prior and the thought of seeing him again left his stomach twisted in knots. 

As much as he missed his former apprentice, he needed time to think, to meditate, to- to- well he wasn’t sure, but he definitely needed something. It really wouldn’t do to have Anakin pick up on all the doubt and confusion that he was sure had to be seeping out into the Force, as he’d undoubtedly blame himself for it. 

It was ridiculous; he could do this. He was a Jedi Master- they called him The Negotiator for kriff’s sake he was supposed to be something of a wordsmith and he couldn’t cough up three little words when the situation called for it?

Well, maybe he’d never be as good as Anakin at expressing his feelings naturally, but he was capable of this much at least. He’d just have to be meticulous, to plan it out like he did with most everything else. Anakin was- was _loved_ and he deserved to hear it. No matter how hard every deeply-ingrained lesson in Obi-Wan’s mind fought against the sentiment. 

 

* * *

   
  
If there was one way Obi-Wan could always count on to show Anakin how much he cared for him, it was through food. He wasn’t the most gifted cook in the galaxy by any means but to Anakin, who’d spent the majority of his life eating dry bread, gruel, ration bars, and _bugs_ of all things, Obi-Wan’s attempts were as close as he ever got to high class cuisine. 

It seemed like no time at all before Obi-Wan heard the soft little beeps of Anakin typing in the code to unlock their door. He took a deep breath, straightening out invisible wrinkles in his robes and silently chastising himself. He really shouldn’t be this nervous. 

Almost the second Anakin stepped through the threshold, he was across the room, strong arms snaked around Obi-Wan, pulling him into a tight embrace, and rumbling out a throaty “Missed you.” This, of course, was a perfectly good opening, but by the time Obi-Wan had gotten his courage up, Anakin leaned back enough to capture him in a kiss that threatened to derail all of Obi-Wan’s carefully laid plans. And he meant to pull away, get the night back on track but _oh_ he hadn’t realized quite how much he’d missed Anakin until that very moment and instead found himself pressing in impossibly closer.  
  
It always seemed to be that way, he thought fleetingly. Being a Jedi, he was actually quite good at compartmentalizing, putting his feelings aside when his duty demanded it. Which of course meant they came flooding back that much stronger as soon as he didn’t have a mission to design and execute. Luckily for Obi-Wan’s plans for the evening, Anakin never seemed to entirely stop thinking with his stomach and broke away on his own eventually. 

“Mm what’s that smell? Obi-Wan did you cook? You just got back; you should rest. I woulda made something!” 

This would be the perfect moment, he thought, to say what he wanted to. Something like ‘yes well I just wanted to show you how much I lo-‘ well...that. 

Instead what came out was “No thank you Anakin, I’d much prefer having something actually edible.” He was cringing internally before the words had even finished passing his lips. Criticizing your partner’s lack of culinary skills wasn’t exactly romantic was it? 

But Anakin just laughed, pushing lightly at his shoulder. “Alright, fair enough. So, what’d you make?”    
  
  
Dinner went well- that is Anakin ate three portions while enthusiastically telling him about the mission he’d just completed, goings on at the Temple while he’d been away, and a thousand other little things. Obi-Wan did his best to relax and not get lost in his own thoughts, releasing his pent up nervous energy into the Force. 

“Ah thank you Master, that was delicious,” Anakin sighed, leaning back in his chair with a hand on his (undoubtedly overfull) stomach. 

_Okay, this is it_ Obi-Wan thought. Take two, just let it come naturally- something like: ‘it was nothing, a labor of lov-‘

“Yes well, if I weren’t here to feed you I’m sure you’d be subsisting off of nothing but junk.” _Stang!_ Why was this so hard? 

“You know me too well,” Anakin laughed, throwing his head back. The motion exposed the long line of his throat and made Obi-Wan’s heart positively _ache._ He couldn’t just let the opportunity pass. He had to say it- he wanted to say it. Anakin deserved to hear it. There was no reason not to: not saying it wouldn’t make it any less true, after all. 

“Well since you cooked, how about I clean up?” Anakin said, rising from his seat. But Obi-Wan wasn’t really listening at that point, too wrapped up in his own inner turmoil. He could do this- he’d said it before, he could do it again. Anakin was stepping away from the table, now or never. 

“Anakin I- I love you!” He blurted, heart pounding, face heated. There, he said it. 

“Stars, Obi-Wan it’s just a couple of dishes- it’s not that big of a deal.” He laughed again, Force around him alight with amusement. 

Wait...what? Obi-Wan’s mind frantically searched through the last few moments until he remembered the last thing Anakin had said and oh. Wow. Even when he thought he’d finally gotten it, he still found some way to kark things up. 

But then there was a hand on his chin, tipping his head back and Anakin was leaning down, kissing him like it wasn’t a complete disaster. 

“Thank you,” he said when he pulled away. His voice was warm, eyes all liquid affection and Obi-Wan knew, despite all his fumbling, Anakin had understood. He breathed a sigh of relief.   
  
  
Until later, when he lay in bed listening to the steady sound of his former apprentice breathing and was once again left to his thoughts. Anakin had said it again- thanked him for his words. And the way he’d looked at him, the feeling spreading through their bond in that moment. It was fond, yes, but also...grateful. Like he was still surprised to hear it. 

Obi-Wan sighed into the darkness. There was still work to be done, then. 

 

* * *

 

  
Since its inception it’d been an unspoken agreement between Anakin and Obi-Wan that intimate interactions would be kept to a minimum during missions. They’d sleep next to each other when they had the privacy to, which- mostly due to Anakin’s affectionate nature- often led to kissing and a bit of gentle petting. But for the most part they’d wait till their relationship was less likely to cause life-threatening bouts of distraction. Obi-Wan felt guilty enough about their code-breaking as it was. 

Therefore, it was another month before Obi-Wan even got the chance to think about approaching the Three Little Word problem again. Of course that only meant that the anxiety circling the whole issue returned with a vengeance when he did get back around to it. They weren’t even halfway back to Coruscant before the niggling voice in the back of his head started laying out his next plan of attack. 

The fact of the matter was that Obi-Wan cared, deeply, for Anakin- wanted all the best for him. But being raised as a Jedi didn’t exactly gift him with a proclivity toward romantic gestures nor poetic heartfelt words of sentiment. He’d always thought that wouldn’t be a particular problem, that Anakin was in the same ship. Now, though, he found himself at a loss. 

Where to start? Gifts were out of the question as possession was frowned upon in the Order. Should he take him out? There weren’t any special occasions approaching. What did normal non-Jedi do in relationships, he wondered.   
  
  
It took three days of planning and asking Ahsoka, Padmé, and even Bail for advice- as covertly as possible, of course. But Obi-Wan had finally laid his next plan into place. They’d been lucky in that the council hadn’t assigned either of them off-planet missions as of yet, having apparently amassed a bit of goodwill after successfully completing back to back assignments. 

“Anakin?” He asked that evening as they were lying in bed. 

“Mm?” Anakin rumbled sleepily from his place against Obi-Wan’s chest, not bothering to open his eyes. 

“Do you have any plans tomorrow?” 

“I was gonna do a little ‘saber training with Ahsoka in the morning, why?”

“I was just ah, wondering,” Obi-Wan swallowed heavily. “If you’d like to venture out of the temple for awhile. With me,” he clarified, internally rolling his eyes at his own ridiculousness. 

“Like...a date?” Anakin asked, raising his head to make eye contact with his former Master. “Are you asking me on a date?” 

“I...suppose so, yes.” 

“I’d love to,” he grinned in a way that made Obi-Wan’s stomach flip. “Where did you have in mind?” 

“Oh, I dunno,” he shrugged, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. 

“You do too- you have something planned!” Anakin was positively _glowing_ now. 

“Perhaps.” 

“Is it a surprise?” Anakin asked, buzzing with anticipation. 

“I, ah- yes. It is. A surprise.” Obi-Wan fumbled, feeling even more insecure than he had a moment earlier. A surprise. Sure, he could work with that. 

“Hmm how unexpectedly romantic of you Master.” Anakin buried his face into the crook of Obi-Wan’s neck, breathing him in.

Was it romantic? Anakin was kissing at his neck, moving up to nip at his earlobe, and slowly grinding against his hip. Well. A romantic gesture _had_ been his intention after all. If this was the outcome, who was he to complain?   
  
  
Having stayed up far later than he’d anticipated the night before, Obi-Wan woke up later than planned. That was alright though, as his “surprise plans” didn’t take place until later that afternoon. But when he rolled over to find the other half of the bed empty, he couldn’t help but wonder why Anakin hadn’t woken him up. 

He reached out through their bond to confirm what he already had suspected. And indeed, their apartment was empty, Anakin’s Force signature further away, though not terribly so. Most likely taking the morning to train Ahsoka as he said he would, then.   
  
  
By the time Anakin returned, sweaty and sporting a few new burns and bruises, Obi-Wan had showered and made breakfast and was waiting for him at the dining room table nibbling at the plate of food in front of him. 

“Mm Master that smells incredible,” Anakin said, wandering over to pick at the food sitting in front of Obi-Wan. 

“It might but you, however, do not.” Obi-Wan said, scrunching his nose at Anakin. “Please go shower before the entire apartment starts to smell like a training room.” 

Anakin just laughed, stealing another bite off his former Master’s plate. “Alright, alright don’t get upset.” He leaned down to pull Obi-Wan into an intentionally messy kiss before disappearing into the ‘fresher. Despite his feigned annoyance, he was sure Anakin could feel the waves of affection pouring off him into their bond.   
  
  
After Anakin had showered and had a bit to eat Obi-Wan ushered him out the door, not wanting to throw off all his plans by being late. Of course by that point Anakin was practically vibrating with anticipation anyway, so it didn’t take any large amount of coaxing. 

Obi-Wan led Anakin out of the Temple and a few blocks away where he’d arranged to have the speeder bike he rented parked. Being over-cautious, he didn’t want any of his fellow Knights, or worse a council member, asking why exactly he’d needed to rent a top-of-the-line deathtrap when they had perfectly good Temple-issue speeders available for use. The idea of Mace’s face when he explained that he wanted to go all out when taking his former Padawan on a date was almost worth risking it- but not quite. 

Of course all of his subterfuge proved immediately worth it as they approached the bike and Anakin’s eyes swept over it for the first time. He gave it an appreciative, longing glance, expecting to simply continue toward their destination on foot. Obi-Wan, however, stopped, gesturing wordlessly at Anakin’s dream of a vehicle. Obi-Wan himself would’ve preferred a sensible landspeeder; Anakin’s piloting was terrifying enough with a few more layers between him and sudden death, but he knew the extra effort would be all the more appreciated for it.

Anakin blinked at him for a moment, confused. Then, as the gears in his head turned he gasped in awe, his eyes darting back and forth from the bike to his former Master in silent questioning. Obi-Wan just smiled warmly, waiting for him to find words again. 

“Master, is that the ST-12 with the-“

“Rear turbothrust engines with repulsorlifts in the front and back for smoother maneuverability, yes it is. I know it’s not the newest model but unfortunately that won’t be available for another year or so-”

“Oh Master, you do listen to me,” he beamed, expression openly adoring.

“Occasionally. Don’t get too excited though, it’s just a rental,” Obi-Wan said, suddenly flustered.  
  
“Wait are you telling me _I_ get to pilot _this_?!” Anakin asked, clearly resisting the urge to abandon his poor Master in favor of the new shiny toy that’d been placed in front of him. 

“Yes Anakin,” Obi-Wan smiled indulgently. “But please do be careful; we have to return it by tomorrow.”

“Of course, Master. I’m always careful.” He grinned wide and wild, and Obi-Wan did his best to look stern instead of doing what he craved and pulling him into a kiss right in the middle of the street. 

“ _Anakin,_ ” he managed with as straight a face as he could. 

“I will, I promise,” the younger man positively giggled, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Can I fly it now? Please?” 

“Very well,” he said calmly, gesturing for the other man to lead them onward as if his heart wasn’t threatening to jump out of his mouth. Anakin’s joy, open and unrestrained, always left him helplessly aching for more. 

Besides pleasing Anakin, speeder bikes did have the advantage of proximity, Obi-Wan mused, wrapping his arms around the younger man’s waist as he slid onto the seat behind him.

“So, how do I know where we’re going, since it’s all a surprise I mean?” Anakin asked once they’d gotten situated and he was hungrily running his fingers over the grips. 

“I’ll tell you where to go- though I’m sure you’ll figure it out once we get a little closer.” 

Anakin raised an eyebrow at him but shrugged and obeyed, starting up the bike and easing it off the ground. “Alright Master, which way?” He asked over the rumble of the engines.  
  
  
True to his word Anakin, for once, managed not to break _every_ traffic code and speed limit. As such the trip took slightly longer than Obi-Wan had anticipated. However, as he expected, once they were about two-thirds of the way there Anakin’s eyes lit up in recognition, Force signature sparking with exuberance. 

Obi-Wan could feel excitement buzzing through their bond as the speeder touched down outside the podracing arena. Anakin was doing his best to fight the urge to just sprint for the entrance, but it was clearly a struggle. In the absence of being able to hold his hand, Obi-Wan reached out and twined their Force signatures together. Anakin relaxed a little at that, the gentle reminder of their togetherness soothing his edges closer to contentment. 

Although Obi-Wan spent what he considered to be a rather exorbitant amount on their little outing, he still wasn’t able to afford particularly good seats. He’d worried that Anakin would be disappointed by the view. How exciting could watching a podrace from the nosebleeds be when you’d actually been _in_ one, after all?   
  
His fears turned out to be entirely unfounded however, if Anakin’s beaming grin was anything to go by. 

  
The race began before long and Anakin kept up a steady chatter over the roar of the crowd, explaining the differences between each model and which racers he’d been following. Though Obi-Wan could hardly distinguish one competitor from another, he enjoyed listening to the excitement in Anakin’s voice as he commentated.   
  
  
  
“I can’t believe you did all this just for me. You never seemed at all interested in podracing before.” Anakin said hours later, as most of the crowd was starting to shuffle out. His voice was just slightly hoarse from shouting through most of the race but he was still radiating nothing but pure joy. 

“Yes well, I just wanted to show you- l mean,” Obi-Wan fumbled, feeling the heat rising in his cheeks. 

“Are you trying to say that you love me?” Anakin murmured into his ear, smirking cheekily. 

“Yes I...that.” _Force_ why wasn’t this getting any easier?

“Thank you Master— Obi-Wan.” His expression morphed into one of gentle affection and, although he couldn’t kiss him in public, he did send waves of warmth through their bond, reaching out to squeeze Obi-Wan’s hand for a long moment before reluctantly letting go.

It didn’t take hours of solitary reflection for Obi-Wan to take note of his failure this time around. He hadn’t even managed to say the words out loud this time around and Anakin _still_ felt the need to thank him for Force sake. He sighed, trying to keep his gloom to himself. At least Anakin had had a good time, so it hadn’t all been for naught he supposed.  
  
  
They agreed to pick up dinner on the way back to the Temple and Obi-Wan did his best to stay in the moment, rather than sulking over his most recent failure. It was made easier by Anakin’s continued good mood, chattering on about the racers they’d seen, and Ahsoka’s training among other things. Obi-Wan was quite content to bask in his former Padawan’s presence and thought he was doing an admirable job of masking his disappointment in himself until after they’d finished eating Anakin sighed heavily. 

“What’s the matter?” He asked, frowning in concern. 

“It’s just,” Obi-Wan paused, wondering if he was just ruining everything by blowing this all out of proportion. Probably, but it was too late to go back now; Anakin was already worried. Any attempt to change the subject would just exacerbate the issue. He sighed and forged onwards. “Why do you feel the need to thank me whenever I say I— when I tell you how I feel? Is it that unbelievable? Do I express it so rarely?” Despite his best efforts he couldn’t keep his voice entirely steady, pitch rising as his anxieties creeped in. 

“Oh Master,” Anakin stepped in close till they were standing nearly chest-to-chest. “Look at me,” he requested gently, tipping Obi-Wan’s face back with a hand on his jaw. 

Obi-Wan reluctantly complied, fighting the urge to curl up in a ball and hide his face like a youngling. Instead he met Anakin’s gaze and was taken aback by what he found. It was nothing but warmth, patience, affection. 

“It’s not that at all Obi-Wan. I know you love me; you show me all the time. You _always_ have, even when I was too kriffing stupid to see it. You’ve given me everything, protected me, taught me everything you know. I don’t doubt the way you feel.” 

“Then why—?” 

“Because I know how hard it is for you to put it into words,” he said, dipping the pad of his thumb into the divot of Obi-Wan’s chin. “And I want you to know how much I appreciate you trying.” 

“Oh,” was all he could manage, feeling the heat of embarrassment rising in his cheeks. It was all so simple after all. 

“Don’t be embarrassed, Master. You worry about me because you care- it’s one of the things I love about you.” Anakin wrapped his free hand around Obi-Wan’s waist, bringing them impossibly closer till their noses were touching. “But you can let me take care of you sometimes too.” 

Then they were kissing and there were no more words, just acceptance and peace. And, at least in that moment, he could find no more reasons to worry. 

“Besides,” Anakin said when they pulled away. “I kind of like being the calm one, getting to reassure you for once.” 

“Yes well, don’t get used to it,” Obi-Wan huffed, pretending to be annoyed. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it Master,” the younger man laughed brightly. “We can’t change _that_ much, who would we be?” 

“A well-balanced, regular couple?” He quipped, still fighting the grin threatening to overtake his expression. 

“Mm can’t have that.” Anakin kissed him again, deeper this time, nipping at his bottom lip, hands tracing up and down his spine. 

“So, I know this doesn’t exactly count as a fight, but what do you say we make up anyway?” He panted when they broke for air, eyebrows waggling. 

“Make up? What do—? Oh _Anakin_ you’re incorrigible.” He tried to sound disapproving but knew he was nowhere near the vicinity. 

“You love me,” Anakin grinned, taking his hand to lead him down the hall to the bedroom.   
  
“Yes, I do.”

 

 


End file.
